Attorney registration for the 2025-2027 biennium opens July 1.

Attorney registration for the 2025-2027 biennium opens July 1.

The second phase of attorney registration fee increases are set to begin on July 1, when attorney registration for the 2025-2027 biennium opens.

Beginning in July, the biennial registration fee for Ohio attorneys will be $450.

After 16 years without an increase, biennial registration fees were increased in 2023. During phase one, covering 2023-2025, fees were increased from $350 to $400. For the second two-year period covering 2025-2027, fees will be $450.

Prior to the recent change, attorney registration fees were last updated in 2007. Ohio currently ranks as one of the lowest attorney registration fees in the country. Also, Ohio attorneys pay every two years, compared to annual payments in some other states.

Fees fund services to attorneys, including processing registrations and maintaining attorney records; investigating complaints of judicial or attorney misconduct and the unauthorized practice of law; reimbursing victims of attorney theft through the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection; and supporting the Commission on Continuing Legal Education.

The Ohio attorney registration process must be completed online and includes an electronic bar license, which can be stored on an attorney’s phone for easy access or printed out as needed.

New to the registration process this year is the voluntary option for attorneys to list if they are multilingual. This information is publicly available and can serve as a resource for those seeking the service of attorneys who speak multiple languages.

Attorneys can register by accessing the Supreme Court of Ohio Attorney Portal. The portal is being updated and will soon have additional features.